Three Girl Scouts named Thin Mint, Samoa and Do-Si-Do are about to save Saint Paul from a zombie apocalypse, and the playwright behind them says the story is rooted in something far more real than the undead. Theater Mu's world-premiere production of “Kung Fu Zombies vs Southeast Asian Girl Scouts” opens previews Thursday and Friday before launching its full run Saturday through Nov. 15 at Frey Theater on the St. Catherine University campus.
The play comes from Lao American playwright Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, who immigrated from Laos with her family seeking refuge from war in 1985, as reported by Villager. It follows Thin Mint, Samoa and Do-Si-Do as they protect their Saint Paul community after it is abandoned by local authorities during a zombie outbreak, the company says. As reported by Villager, the play is set in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Saint Paul, a place Vongsay visited with her family to see relatives and friends, and the Girl Scouts in the story are named after her favorite Girl Scout cookies.
A Real Troop Behind the Fiction
Theater Mu's artistic director, Fran De Leon, who directs the production, told Villager the play carries more weight than its catchy title suggests, because it is grounded in a real Girl Scout troop started by Southeast Asian mothers whose daughters wanted to join an American institution while feeling culturally out of place. Per mspmag.com, Vongsay said that real-life troop — Troop 54129 — began in 2009 after its young members experienced bullying and microaggressions.
That history shapes how the fictional Girl Scouts behave under pressure. Mia Guzman, who plays Thin Mint, nicknamed the Wire Witch for her affinity for tinkering and gadgetry, told Villager her character develops strength, leadership and maturity as the plot unfolds — an arc Theater Mu describes as Thin Mint stepping into her own version of strength beyond her role as the community's go-to fixer. Guzman, who lives in Summit-University, shares the stage with Hope Nordquist as Do-Si-Do, who grew up in Summit-University as an Asian American adoptive child, and with Lia Rivamonte, a West End resident playing Mama, the community's matriarch.
Martial Arts and a Youth Ensemble
The fight choreography draws from Southeast Asian martial arts, with each actor's movement incorporating a different blend of styles, according to Villager's reporting. Ben Dutcher plays a man the Girl Scouts encounter on a dangerous city supply run, while Chandler Clement-Oja, Lance Krohn and Finn Buffington round out the cast as zombies. Among the youth ensemble is 10-year-old Quinn Tran, a fifth-grader at Highland Park Elementary School, one of three young performers in the show.
De Leon told Villager the zombies in the production have lost their humanity, attacking relentlessly without conscience — a detail that sharpens the play's central question about who the true villains really are and what that says about friendship and community. Vongsay said the story is ultimately about community and protecting it, including the limits of preserving order. She has also noted that Lao people have no traditional zombies in their own folklore, a detail Villager reports came directly from the playwright.
Part of a Larger Trilogy
This production concludes Vongsay's “Kung Fu Zombies” trilogy, which began in 2013, as part of Theater Mu's 2026-27 season titled “We Belong,” according to twincities.com. The company is described as the Midwest's largest Asian American theater company, and the season overall aims to speak to universal experiences of family, community, displacement and empowerment. An earlier entry in the saga, “The Kung Fu Zombies Saga,” was reviewed by MPR News as a nearly three-hour, two-act epic blending Southeast Asian mythology with Laotian history, including colonialism, the Vietnam War and the Secret War.
Showtimes, Tickets and Accessibility
Performances run 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, per Villager's report. The play is recommended for ages 12 and older, with Theater Mu noting it includes depictions of blood, violence, gore, zombies and adult language. An approximate 90-minute runtime with no intermission is listed by stkate.edu for the St. Catherine University event page.
Theater Mu uses a pay-what-you-can pricing model, with tickets available for as little as $15. Large-print playbills, accessible seating and sensory kits will be available at every performance, and some of the production's actors are appearing under an agreement between Theater Mu and Actors' Equity Association. Frey Theater is located on the St. Catherine University campus at 2004 Randolph Ave. in Saint Paul.
